US Army deploying AH-64 Apache battalion to Europe

A fleet of 20 AH-64 Apache aircraft from the 1st Armored Division will deploy to Europe in February.

The 1-501st, also known as the Iron Dragon Battalion, will deploy this February for a nine-month rotation in support of Operation Atlantic Resolve.

Lt. Col. Chris Crotzer, 1-501st commander said:

“We’re moving aircraft to Corpus Christi to put them on a ship to deploy to Europe.

Supporting units like this sends a clear message to the rest of the Army that CCAD is willing to aid whenever we can to support the Warfighter and the overall mission.”

CW3 David Staruch, of the 1-501st said:

“It will take several days to load the aircraft on the ship. We can only load a few [Apaches] at a time and have to remove the rotor blades and prep them for travel. There’s no heliport. It’s just a big massive ship.”

According to a press release:

“The original plan was for the 1-501st to ferry aircraft to the Port of Corpus Christi over the course of three days. The Port of Corpus Christi is one of the few ports in the Gulf of Mexico that can sustain a boat large enough to carry 20 helicopters safely across the Atlantic.”